Introduction:
The frilled necked lizard is an animal from the Iguania (reptile) family. It's scientific name is Chlamydosaurus kingii.It is similar to a lizard but it has an extra frill around its neck that acts to certain situations and different times. Another similarity it has with a normal lizard is that it is able to also camoflauge itself in a way like using its frill to cover itself and shape itself. It is also known as the "frilled lizard" and "frilled dragon". Other examples of lizards would include the Komodo Dragon etc.
Scientific Classification:
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Sauropsida
Order:
Squamata
Suborder:
Lacertilia
Infraorder:
Iguania
Family:
Agamidae
Subfamily:
Agaminae
Genus:
Chlamydosaurus
Habitat:
The current habitation of the frilled necked lizard is based at northern areas & eastern coasts of Australia and south of New Guinea. Though Southern Australia was more of a past area where they preferred to settle in the past and less frilled necked lizards are living in the eastern coasts due to deforestation, construction pollution, etc.
Graphic 2: Frilled necked lizard up in its territory with camouflage mode (Habitat Image)
It prefers to live in moist areas with humid temperature, like grasslands with good shelter to avoid body temperature overheat even though its cold blooded since being cold blooded doesn't mean that they can survive a length of many hours in the sun over 35 degrees Celsius. Though living in the grasslands, it always stays up on the trees and under the canopy to avoid heatstroke
Graphic 3: Location of Frilled Necked Lizard's Habitation
Map: Frilled lizard range
(Pale Gold Colour = Habitat of most frilled necked lizards.) Source:Click Here
Its ability to climb around is also a reason to why it likes to climb around and stay on trees. Though it only comes back down to the ground to only find food or argue with other similar type animals like itself about territory area disagreement. But there's another reason to why it likes to stay up on trees, which is it's ability to camouflage. Trees give frilled necked lizards an better advantage in camouflaging since they are up high at a certain height and it makes it harder for land predators to spot them. Even if they were spotted by land predators, they can't really catch them unless they had long limbs reach up or the ability to climb trees better than frilled necked lizards.
It has a insect-mainly diet since its insectivorous and feeds on many of the bugs that live on trees up high, but also some small creatures sometimes. They have an exceptional love for butterfly and moths as their diet since they find it much tastier. Living in trees is a right decision for this case also since it allows them a better chance to catch a butterfly/moth flying unconscious up in the air where a frilled necked lizard could stay camouflaged and pounce on to the prey when the time is right.
Adaptations:
Graphic 4: Labelled Diagram of the Frilled Necked Lizard
Behavioral 1: The frilled necked lizard has an ability to camouflage itself to hide from predators. Part of the camouflage is also included with the help of its frill, since when it goes into "hiding" status, its frill drops down and covers partially of its body so that it makes itself look more solid and still. The reason why it has this ability is because the environment has too many predators like eagles, owls, larger animals etc. though it still stands up for its territory when someone tries to dominate their territory without proper negotiation.
Graphic 5: Frilled Necked Lizard in Camouflaged Status
Behavioral 2: This animal has a particular way of escaping from its enemy. When in contact with one, it springs to the animal, opens up its frill and tries to give the predator a shock and buy sometime of itself. Then it runs away to the nearest tall tree that it can find on its 2 hinder legs. Strangely, it runs like a human riding a bicycle and this makes it very interesting since they use their front legs to walk during normal situations like walking, finding food, etc. This behavior helps the frilled necked lizard to make a speedy run away from the predator, and the reason to having this behavior is because of the major increase of predators for frilled necked lizards. Frilled necked lizards are particularly aimed at by larger animals and because they are smaller than them, & they don’t have much potential in fighting off their predators.
Graphic 5: Video of Frilled Necked Lizard Bicycle Running
Structural 1: The frilled necked lizard’s neck has a peculiar round-shaped frill that acts different to certain situations. It uses it frill to scare its predators away so that it can run away after a sudden shock of scaring the enemy. But then it walks only on its hinds legs when running away like as if it was riding a bicycle which is why it is also called the bicycle lizard due to its way of running like a human riding a bicycle. It never stops running onto it finally reach a tree and then crawls up to a height so that the predator can't reach them. The use of the frill expanding is to try and confuse the enemy about its size, making it look bigger and more ferocious at the same time with the scaring. This is a vital behavior since it allows the frilled necked lizard to buy time and escape. The speed of using only its hind legs running is much faster than running using all four limbs. It has to be less aggressive against other animals since its disadvantaged by its size and has many predators lurking in its habitats, getting ready to capture them.
Structural 2: The frilled necked lizard is strongly disadvantaged in being small compared to their massive ancestors, but also advantage in many other ways. It has grown back into a much smaller size compared to its past ancestors. It’s evolved to a smaller size since of the competition over food with so many animals now. Since edible food now has been said to be used to make different technology, there will be less edible food for humans and animals. Also, with a smaller sized body, it doesn’t need to consume that much to move around and catch such a big meal. Though its bigger than many other reptiles, being at a size of around 90cm in length.
Psychological: Frilled necked lizards are ectotherms, having to control body heat by external sources. Other animals like the Gopher Tortoise, Green Sea Turtle, etc. With this ability, they are able to not need extra resources to help them control body heat in their body. Also, being cold-blooded allows them to sit in the heat and re-charge a suitable amount of heat for them to keep in their body rather than having to eat more food and need extra physical sources like shelter. They are pressured to have this ability since if they didn’t, they might not be able to survive in the place where they live. Since winter and summer can exist in its habitat quite dramatically, being cold blooded helps it manages this type of temperature problem.
[★] Frilled Neck Lizard [★]
Graphic 1: Picture of a Frilled Necked Lizard with Frill partially opened
Introduction:
The frilled necked lizard is an animal from the Iguania (reptile) family. It's scientific name is Chlamydosaurus kingii. It is similar to a lizard but it has an extra frill around its neck that acts to certain situations and different times. Another similarity it has with a normal lizard is that it is able to also camoflauge itself in a way like using its frill to cover itself and shape itself. It is also known as the "frilled lizard" and "frilled dragon". Other examples of lizards would include the Komodo Dragon etc.
Scientific Classification:
Habitat:
The current habitation of the frilled necked lizard is based at northern areas & eastern coasts of Australia and south of New Guinea. Though Southern Australia was more of a past area where they preferred to settle in the past and less frilled necked lizards are living in the eastern coasts due to deforestation, construction pollution, etc.
Graphic 2: Frilled necked lizard up in its territory with camouflage mode (Habitat Image)
Source: Click Here
It prefers to live in moist areas with humid temperature, like grasslands with good shelter to avoid body temperature overheat even though its cold blooded since being cold blooded doesn't mean that they can survive a length of many hours in the sun over 35 degrees Celsius. Though living in the grasslands, it always stays up on the trees and under the canopy to avoid heatstroke
Graphic 3: Location of Frilled Necked Lizard's Habitation
(Pale Gold Colour = Habitat of most frilled necked lizards.)
Source: Click Here
Its ability to climb around is also a reason to why it likes to climb around and stay on trees. Though it only comes back down to the ground to only find food or argue with other similar type animals like itself about territory area disagreement. But there's another reason to why it likes to stay up on trees, which is it's ability to camouflage. Trees give frilled necked lizards an better advantage in camouflaging since they are up high at a certain height and it makes it harder for land predators to spot them. Even if they were spotted by land predators, they can't really catch them unless they had long limbs reach up or the ability to climb trees better than frilled necked lizards.
It has a insect-mainly diet since its insectivorous and feeds on many of the bugs that live on trees up high, but also some small creatures sometimes. They have an exceptional love for butterfly and moths as their diet since they find it much tastier. Living in trees is a right decision for this case also since it allows them a better chance to catch a butterfly/moth flying unconscious up in the air where a frilled necked lizard could stay camouflaged and pounce on to the prey when the time is right.
Adaptations:
Graphic 4: Labelled Diagram of the Frilled Necked Lizard
Source: Click Here
Behavioral 1:
The frilled necked lizard has an ability to camouflage itself to hide from predators. Part of the camouflage is also included with the help of its frill, since when it goes into "hiding" status, its frill drops down and covers partially of its body so that it makes itself look more solid and still. The reason why it has this ability is because the environment has too many predators like eagles, owls, larger animals etc. though it still stands up for its territory when someone tries to dominate their territory without proper negotiation.
Graphic 5: Frilled Necked Lizard in Camouflaged Status
Behavioral 2:
This animal has a particular way of escaping from its enemy. When in contact with one, it springs to the animal, opens up its frill and tries to give the predator a shock and buy sometime of itself. Then it runs away to the nearest tall tree that it can find on its 2 hinder legs. Strangely, it runs like a human riding a bicycle and this makes it very interesting since they use their front legs to walk during normal situations like walking, finding food, etc. This behavior helps the frilled necked lizard to make a speedy run away from the predator, and the reason to having this behavior is because of the major increase of predators for frilled necked lizards. Frilled necked lizards are particularly aimed at by larger animals and because they are smaller than them, & they don’t have much potential in fighting off their predators.
Graphic 5: Video of Frilled Necked Lizard Bicycle Running
Source: Click Here
Structural 1:
The frilled necked lizard’s neck has a peculiar round-shaped frill that acts different to certain situations.
It uses it frill to scare its predators away so that it can run away after a sudden shock of scaring the enemy. But then it walks only on its hinds legs when running away like as if it was riding a bicycle which is why it is also called the bicycle lizard due to its way of running like a human riding a bicycle. It never stops running onto it finally reach a tree and then crawls up to a height so that the predator can't reach them. The use of the frill expanding is to try and confuse the enemy about its size, making it look bigger and more ferocious at the same time with the scaring. This is a vital behavior since it allows the frilled necked lizard to buy time and escape. The speed of using only its hind legs running is much faster than running using all four limbs. It has to be less aggressive against other animals since its disadvantaged by its size and has many predators lurking in its habitats, getting ready to capture them.
Structural 2:
The frilled necked lizard is strongly disadvantaged in being small compared to their massive ancestors, but also advantage in many other ways. It has grown back into a much smaller size compared to its past ancestors. It’s evolved to a smaller size since of the competition over food with so many animals now. Since edible food now has been said to be used to make different technology, there will be less edible food for humans and animals. Also, with a smaller sized body, it doesn’t need to consume that much to move around and catch such a big meal. Though its bigger than many other reptiles, being at a size of around 90cm in length.
Psychological:
Frilled necked lizards are ectotherms, having to control body heat by external sources. Other animals like the Gopher Tortoise, Green Sea Turtle, etc. With this ability, they are able to not need extra resources to help them control body heat in their body. Also, being cold-blooded allows them to sit in the heat and re-charge a suitable amount of heat for them to keep in their body rather than having to eat more food and need extra physical sources like shelter. They are pressured to have this ability since if they didn’t, they might not be able to survive in the place where they live. Since winter and summer can exist in its habitat quite dramatically, being cold blooded helps it manages this type of temperature problem.
Bibliography
Bradtke, B. (2005). Australian Frilled Lizard or Frill Necked Lizard. Retrieved June 13th, from http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/frilled_lizard.html
Enchanted Learning. (1999). Frilled Lizard Printout- EnchantedLearning.com. Retrieved June 13th, fromhttp://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/reptiles/lizard/Frilledprintout.shtml
Kid Cyber. (2006). Frilled Lizard. Retrieved June 13th, from http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/frilledliz.htm
Sassy. Frilled Lizard. Retrieved June 13th, from http://members.optusnet.com.au/~alreadman/liz.htm
Wikipedia. (2010). Frill-necked Lizard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved June 13th, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frill_necked_lizard
Zoo Aquarium Association. (2006). Frilled Lizard - Zoo and Aquarium Association. Retrieved July 20th, from http://www.zooaquarium.org.au/Frilled-Lizard/default.aspx